Plant-protector.



PATENTBD OCT. 6, 1903.

L. G. HUNTER. PLANT PROTECTOR. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 20, 1902.

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Patented October e, 1903.

J. PATENT FI IcE.

LAURAG. Heme; or swim, ILLINOIS.

PLANT-PROTECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 740,437, dated October 6, 1903.

Application filed October 20, 1902- Serial No. 128,021. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: f

Be it known that LLAURA G. HUNTER,a citizenof the United States, residing at Ewing, in the county of Franklin and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Plant-Protector, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to covers or protectors for growing plants, and has for its object the construction of a simple device which will be cheap and durable and which may be shipped knocked-down and folded into shape when required for use or disconnected and packed away for future use, so that the device may be employed intermittentlyfor a number of seasons.

The invention consists in a sheet of flexihis material, preferably of some waterproof fabric, and provided with wire clips bent to shape and adapted to secure the sheet when folded into a cover, and wire clips adapted not only to support the'cover member, but also to aiford means to secure the cover mem-' her to the ground, and also to provide ban: dies whereby the cover member may be transported.

Other novel features of the invention will appear in the annexed description and be specified in the claims following.

In the drawings illustrative of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the de-' vice complete. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the clip members detached. Fig. 3 is a plan view, on a reduced scale, of the impervious cover member before being folded into shape.

The improved device consists of three'parts, the cover member, formed of a sheet of impervious fabric, preferably waterproof paper of sufficiently heavy texture to withstand the strains to which it will be subjected and to resist fracture when folded, and supportingclips, preferably two in number, adapted to be connected to the cover member when folded into shape and not only support the cover member, but also to connect the cover memher to the ground with sufficient force to prevent its removal accidentally.

The cover or canopy blank is represented in Fig. 3, the dotted lines indicating the lines along which it is folded into the shape repre- COVBI'.

sented in Fig. l, with the corners thereof folded reversely..

In Fig. 3 the portion inclosed by the dotted lines at the center of the sheet and indicated at 11 will form the top of the canopy or cover when folded, the poriions 12 13 14 15 will form the sides, and the corners 16 17 18 19 when folded together along the dotted lines will form the overlapping folds 10, as indicated in Fig. 1, these folds coming at opposite sides of thecanopy or cover.

The'supporting-clips will each be formed of a single piece of wire bent to shape and folded together to form spaced sides ormemhers, (indicated at 20 21,) the extremity of the member 20 extended, as at 22, and the extremity of the member 21 folded into spaced fiat coils 23 between the two members and normally stan'dingw'ithin the plane of the body, thereby forming a seat for the edge of the cover, while the loop 24, forming the conuection between the members 2O 21, will be bent outward at an angle, as shown. When thus constructed, the device will be attached to the fabric cover or canopy by passing the coiled portion 23 below the edge of the cover, so as to engage the inner face of the overlapped portions lO, while the members 20 and 21 engage the outer face of the overlapped portions, with the loop 2% extending above the top of the canopy or cover and the extended end 22 projecting below the lower edge of the sides thereof, as shown in'Fig. 1, the extended end 22 being adapted to be inserted into the ground (indicated at and the loop 24 forming a handle by which the device may be moved fromplace to place, while the intermediate portions of the members 20 and 21 form braces or supports for the ends. The loop formed by the lower portion of the coiled portion 23 passes below the lower edge of the cover or canopy, thereby serving as a means to assist in raising the One of the clipped members will be thus attached to each end of the closure, as indicated in Fig, 1.

The sheets will preferably be creased along may be formed of any desired size to adapt the device to cover any plant, and the clip members may be likewise increased or decreased in size to correspond to the size of the closure or folded sheet, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to any particular sizes of the closures or clips. the clips may be employed uponeach 010- sure as may be required; but generally two to each of the closures will be sufficient, as shown. The wire from which the clips are formed may be of any desired gage, according to the size of the closure. This makes a very simple, cheaply-constructed, and easily-.

applied device, which may be very readily set up when required and will effectually protect delicate plants and may also be employed for the purpose of protecting plants for any desired length of time during their propagation. The sheets may be manufactured in graduated sizes to adapt the device to plants of various sizes.

It.will be understood that changes in the form, proportiomand minor details of construction may be resorted to Without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificina any of its advantages.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a cover and a supportingclip detachably engaging the cover, said clip comprising two spaced members engaging the outer face of the cover, the end of one member being extended below the edge thereof, and the other bent upon itself to pass beneath the edge of the cover to engage thein- As many of ner face thereof at a point intermediate the spaced members. 7

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a. cover and a detachable supporting-clip, said clip comprising two parallel members engaging the outer face of the cover and extending above the top thereof to form a handle, the end of one member being extended below the lower edge of the cover, and the end of the other member being bent to pass beneath the edge of the cover to engage the inner face thereof and form a seat for said edge.

3. A supporting-clip for plant-protectors constructed of a singe piece of wire bent to form parallel members, the extremity of one member being bentfupon itself to form a spaced coil between the members, said coil normally standing Within the plane of' the members, the connected end of the said members being bent at. an angle to the body portion.

4:. In a device of the class described, the combination with a cover and a supporting clip, said clip comprising two parallel members, the end of one of said members terminating short of the end of the other, and a spring-clamp at the extremity of the shorter member for engaging the lower edgeof the cover.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LAURA G. HUNTER.

Witnesses:

HARRY PHILP, WILLIAM PAGE. 

